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Yazoo County, Mississippi
Yazoo County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,065. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, whose name, legend has it, comes from an Indian word meaning "River of Death." Farming and lumber are the predominant industries of Yazoo County. Yazoo County is included in the Jackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven, MS Combined Statistical Area. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.43%) is land and (or 1.57%) is water. The total land area of makes Yazoo County the largest county in Mississippi. In fact, the State of Rhode Island is only larger. Major highways * Interstate 55 * U.S. Highway 49 * Mississippi Highway 3 * Mississippi Highway 16 Adjacent counties *Humphreys County (north) *Holmes County (northeast) *Madison County (east) *Hinds County (south) *Warren County (southwest) *Issaquena County (west) *Sharkey County (northwest) National protected area *Hillside National Wildlife Refuge (part) *Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge History The area which is now Yazoo County was acquired by the State of Mississippi from the Choctaw Indians in 1820. Yazoo County was established on January 21, 1823. It was the 19th county established in the State of Mississippi, and remains the largest in area. The first county seat was at the area known as Beatties Bluff. In 1829 the county seat was moved to Benton. In 1849 the county seat was moved once again, to Yazoo City where it remains. Yazoo County was a battlefield in 1863 and 1864 during the American Civil War. The famous railroad disaster which killed engineer Casey Jones took place in Yazoo County, just north of Vaughan, Mississippi, in 1900. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 did much damage in Yazoo County. Comedian Jerry Clower was a native of Liberty, Mississippi, who immortalized the fictitious Ledbetter Amite County family (based on his memories of real people) with his comedy sketches. His humor was always gentle, upbeat, and deeply based on his Christian faith. Jerry attended Mississippi State University, and was employed by the Mississippi Chemical Company of Yazoo City; he died shortly after building a new home in Amite County.[http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/clower_jerry/ Jerry Clower on Mississippi Writer's Page] Demographics 2012 Estimate }} data]] As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,065 people residing in the county. 57.1% were Black or African American, 40.0% White, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 4.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). As of the census of 2000, there were 28,149 people, 9,178 households, and 6,644 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 10,015 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 44.74% White, 53.96% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 4.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.60% of the 9,178 households have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 23.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.35. In the county the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 20.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males (boys). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,795, and the median income for a family was $29,395. Males had a median income of $28,553 versus $19,797 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,062. About 25.40% of families and 31.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over. Communities *'Cities' **Yazoo City *'Towns' **Bentonia *'Villages' **Eden **Satartia *'Unincorporated places' **Anding **Benton **Carter **Holly Bluff **Hopewell Landing **Little Yazoo **Midway **Oil City **Tinsley **Vaughan Transportation Yazoo County Airport is located in an unincorporated area in Yazoo County, - Retrieved on September 23, 2010. west of central Yazoo City.Jeter, Lynne W. "Airports an advantage when it comes to site selection." Mississippi Business Journal. March 26, 2001. Retrieved on September 21, 2010. Education *'Public School Districts' **Yazoo City Municipal School District **Yazoo County School District *'Private Schools' **Benton Academy (Benton) **Manchester Academy (Yazoo City) **Covenant Christian School (Yazoo City) **Thomas Christian Academy (Yazoo City) Famous residents *Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi *Willie Brown, football player *Jerry Clower, comedian *Henry Espy, Mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi *Mike Espy, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture *Lawrence Gordon, motion picture producer *Lynn Hamilton, actress *Duck Holmes, blues musician *T. J. Huddleston, entrepreneur *Skip James, blues musician *Tommy McClennan, blues musician *Willie Morris, writer *John Wesley Snyder, Texas rancher *Stella Stevens, actress *Zig Ziglar, writer and motivational speaker See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Yazoo County, Mississippi Footnotes Further reading * Confederate Veterans of Yazoo County, [http://archive.org/details/rostersketchesof00conf Roster and Sketches of the Several Military Companies which were in Regular Service of the Confererate States during the Civil War from Yazoo County, Miss.] Yazoo City, MS: Waller Printing Co., 1905. * James L. Cox, The Mississippi Almanac. 2001. * Harriet DeCell and JoAnne Prichard, Yazoo: Its Legends and Legacies. n.c.: Yazoo Delta Press, 1976. * A.T. Morgan, Yazoo; or, On the Picket Line of Freedom in the South: A Personal Narrative. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968. * Willie Morris, A Pictorial History of Yazoo County. n.c.: Heritage House Publishing, 1996. * Nicholas Russell Murray, Yazoo County, Mississippi, 1845-1900. Hammond, LA: Hunting for Bears, c. 1982. * New Orleans Exposition Committee, [http://archive.org/details/officialinformat00miss Official Information Respecting Yazoo County, Mississippi.] Yazoo City, MS: n.p., 1884. * Yazoo Historical Association, Yazoo County Story: A Pictorial History of Yazoo County, Mississippi, Covering Both the Old and the New. Fort Worth, TX: University Supply and Equipment Co., 1958. External links *County of Yazoo (Archive) * Yazoo County Mississippi on RootsWeb.com * Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau Category:Counties of Mississippi Category:Yazoo County, Mississippi Category:Combined statistical areas of the United States